Interview: Andrea Cremer, author of 'Rift'

3:00 PM

Andrea Cremer has combined the best of both her worlds: history and fantasy. The result: Rift, which takes place long before her wildly popular Nightshade trilogy but explains the background for the events that unfolded in Nightshade. Andrea joins Happy Ever After to talk about Rift (which came out Tuesday), her passion for fantasy and history and the dichotomy of loving both northern Wisconsin and Manhattan.

Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Andrea! Rift is set hundreds of years before your best-selling Nightshade series. Why did you go back in time?

Andrea: I've only recently become a full-time writer. Prior to moving to New York, my career was in academia. I have a Ph.D. in early modern history and taught at Macalester College in St. Paul. When I began writing Nightshade, I knew that Calla and her fellow Guardians were fighting on the front lines of a war that began several centuries earlier. Though that history appears only in bits and pieces throughout the Nightshade trilogy, the origins of the Witches War was fully fleshed out in my mind and I'd kept extensive notes regarding timelines, genealogies and key events from the past. When the opportunity arose to tell the tale of how it all began I was ecstatic! Rift brings together my two passions: history and fantasy.

Joyce: Your books include quite a few political themes, from slavery and oppression to religion and feminism. Do you ever fear your young readers won't appreciate the complexities of your stories?

Andrea: Not at all. I think many adults underestimate children's and young adults' ability to grapple with difficult and complex subjects. Children are living in and experiencing the world every day, and I believe it's important to provide safe spaces where they can encounter and consider the darker sides of the human past and present. One of the best parts of being an author is receiving e-mails from readers who discover connections between the themes of history and oppression in my novels and what they're learning at school.

Joyce: What songs might we find on your soundtrack to Rift?

Andrea: The Rift soundtrack is a really eclectic mix of traditional Celtic music, indie rock and sweeping movie soundtracks. A few highlights are: The National's England, E.S. Posthumus' Ebla, Florence and the Machine's Drumming Song and How to Destroy Angels' A Drowning. A full soundtrack, including chapter cues, will be posted on my website at the release date!

Joyce: You grew up in northern Wisconsin and now live in Manhattan. What do you miss about Wisconsin? And if you were to return to the Midwest, what would you miss about Manhattan?

Andrea: This question is the puzzle about myself I'm currently trying to figure out. I'm from the northernmost part of Wisconsin — the small town of Ashland on the south shore of Lake Superior. I grew up playing in the woods for hours on end. My imagination ran wild in the forest, and I believe that's where my love of building worlds and creating stories began. In Manhattan I miss the clear air, thick woods, solitude and the night sky filled with stars and occasionally the Northern Lights. As much as I loved growing up in a small town, from my first visit to New York (I was 16) I fell in love with the city. Manhattan has an energy that's unlike anything I've encountered elsewhere. The city is bursting with millions of unique stories. I have a feeling I'll spend my life trying to find a way to split my time between the wilderness and the metropolis.

Joyce: Which authors do you turn to for inspiration in your own writing?

Andrea: Marion Zimmer Bradley taught me that blending history and fantasy creates incredible stories and that strong female leads feature in my favorite tales. David Eddings showed me that supporting characters and their subplots are just as important as the protagonist(s). JRR Tolkien, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett showed me incredible world-building. Stephen King and Shirley Jackson taught me that I like a good scare.

Joyce: Please tell us more about Rift and what readers can expect to see from you next.

Andrea: Rift is set in medieval Scotland and, while it is grounded in history, the story is written in the tradition of epic fantasy. Ember Morrow is Rift's central character. Ember is a 16-year-old girl who is initiated into the secretive church order known as Conatus. As she trains to be a warrior, Ember is drawn into a hidden world where monsters of myth are real and danger lurks in every shadow. It's a story of self-discovery and will, of passion and betrayal. Rift is followed by Rise in January 2013.

Joyce: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Andrea: I'm often asked if Rift can be enjoyed independently from the Nightshade trilogy and the answer is: Absolutely! Rift and Rise are new stories that stand alone as novels in the Nightshade world. However, for fans of Nightshade, reading Rift and Rise will answer questions about the Keepers and Searchers, giving more breadth and depth to the story they already know.

Joyce: Thanks, Andrea!

To find out more about Andrea and her books, you can visit her website, AndreaCremer.com. You can also connect with her on her blog.

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